Butcher block



1943- F. J. SCHMlTT, JR 2,328,503

BUTCHER BLOCK Filed April 15, 1942 Patented Aug. 31, 1943 UNlTED STATES PATENT OFFICE BUTCHER BLOCK Frederick Jacob Schmitt, Jr., Petoskey, Mich., assignor to Michigan Maple Block Company, Petoskey, Mich., a partnership Application April 15, 1942, Serial No. 439,053 2 Claims. (01. 146-215) This invention relates to butcher blocks, and is primarily concerned with a novel construction of block and a method of constructing it for the reception and retention'of the supporting legs for the block in shipment.

Heretofore, so far as known, butcher blocks have been of a solid construction from top to bottom and the supporting legs, one used at each corner, have been removed from the blockand crated separately therefrom. The separate carton or crate of legs many times became misplaced in unloading, while in loading a car or a boat they are very frequently Widely separated so that upon unloading, the crate of legs, for

example, may be covered with other merchandisc and left, the block being received'without the :legs and thus useless.

With my invention, constructing the block so that the legs and the block together are within the same crate, insures against their separation. My invention accomplishes this in a simple, practical and novel manner, and at the same time diminishes the weight of the block with a consequent saving in transportation charges. Furthermore, the block is fully as strong and durable and has as long a life of utility as before.

To these ends, and others not specifically stated, but which will appear, I have made the invention, an understanding of which may be had from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a butcher block in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section therethrough.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view showing the block inverted and the supporting legs nested in a recess to receive them at the under side thereof.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the block with nested legs after the top of the crate to be used has been placed thereover, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view illustrating a step of the block manufacture in one way that it may be produced.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawing.

The butcher block I which is rectangular or approximately square in horizontal cross section is a solid heavy block of wood supported at its under side by legs 2 one at each corner thereof. With my invention the under side of the block is provided with a rectangular shaped recess 3 having dimensions such that the legs may be placed therein alongside each other, the opposite ends of the legs coming adjacent opposite sides of the recess, the four legswhen placed side by side filling the recess between the remaining sides of the recess, and the depth of the recess being such that when the legs are received therein, they lie flush with or slightly below the adjacent inverted under side of the block. The legs at their upper end are reduced in diameter to provide projections for entrance into cylindrical holes 4 bored upwardly at the under side and adjacent each corner of the block. On reaching destination, the legs are taken from the recess 3, inserted in the holes at 4 and then the block righted for support of it by said leg above the floor.

Vfhen the legs are nested in the recess 3 as shown in Fig. 3 the block and legs may then be crated in one package. In Fig. 4 the top of the crate has been placed over the bottom side of the block and the nested legs. Such top of the crate comprises two sides bars 5 spaced from each other with spaced cross bars 6 nailed or otherwise secured as shown, lying over the inverted under side of the block and across the legs 2. The crate may be completed in any suitable manner. When the crated block is received at its destination there is no danger of the legs having been misplaced or lost, one package only is required where two have been previously used resulting in a saving of crating lumber or cartons.

In the manufacture of the block several strips 1 of suitable wood are glued together edge to edge to make what is known as a sheet. Dovetailed joints of the character produced on the Linderman dovetailing machine may be used or any other type, or a plain edge to edge contact be used, the parts being glued securely together. The bottom of the glued together sheet is squared so as to be level. At each end of each of the sheets which are made up of the parts I, a piece 8 of the same thickness issecured by gluing or glue jointing, the ends of the parts 8 at one end lying flush with the adjacent ends of the parts I while at the other end the parts 8 are extended a distance substantially equaling the depth of the recess 3. It is of course to be understood that the length of one of the sheets, made up of the parts I, and therefore the distance between the spaced inner edges of the end pieces 8 provides one of the dimensions for the recess 3 or slightly greater than the over all length of a leg 2. The distance that the pieces 8 at each extend downwardly beyond the lower edge of the sheet made of the pieces 1 is slightly greater than the cross sectional dimension of the legs 2.

9 connected together by gluing or otherwise in an equivalent manner and placed against the center sheets and glued and bound togetherl Rods l6 threaded at one end and provided with heads at the other or threaded at both ends through the central sheets and the end pieces 9*. Said end pieces 9 are preferably provided with recesses H at their outer sides into which the heads of the rods at one end and nuts at the other are received, the recess being closed by glue secured dislis [2. This keeps the block and the parts preferably glued together atall contacting surfaces and securely bound together by us'eof the rods.

When completed the block being bolted to- -1,

gethe'r in addition to gluin the removal of the material which previously had been in the block at the recess 3 does not in anyway airect the length of life of usefulness,- strength, durability or stability or the block.

It is of course to be understood that the Width of the longer piece 8 of the intermediate sheets may be varied in accordance with the outer dimensional size of the block which is made, and

the number of glued together sheets to make up the sides 9 maylikewise be varied. it is further to be understood that the intermediate sheets may be provided by gluing together a plurality of the pieces 8, all of the same length and cutting out of the recess portion by bandsawing.

The construction described has proved very practical and useful. Inasmuch as the dimensions of the supporting legs are the same with different sizes of blocks, the recesses will be the same in all sizes of blocks. There is economy in the use of crating lumber or shipping cartons, it

insures against separation of the legs and blocks in shipment, both at loading or unloading, and the weight of the block is reduced without sacrifice of any quality of strength, durability and stability, with a decrease in shipping charges.

If it is desirable to provide a drawer in the block then the recess 3 may be extended to open through a side of the block ,to receive, the drawer and the legs 2 may be packed-within the drawer in such a structure.

. The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all. forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1'. In a butchers block adapted to be supported at its corners by detachable legs, a plurality of vertical sheets of material each comprising a plurality of Vertical strips glued together in edge to edge contact, intermediate strips of said intermediate sheets being shorter than the outer strips thereof and outer sheets of the block being of the same vertical dimensions as the outer strips of the intermediate sheets to provide a recess at the under side of the block of rectangular shape bounded by said outer sheets and by the outer stripsof the intermediate sheets in which recess the detachable supporting legs for the blocks are adapted to be received, as specified.

2. In a butchers block'adapted to'b'e supported at its corners by depending legs, a: plurality of vertical sheets or wood each made up of a plurality of vertical'strips glued together in vertical edge to edge contact, all upper ends of the strips making up the sheets of the block lying in substantially the same horizontal plane, with intermediate strips of intermediate sheets of the block having parts at their lower end portions cut away, the lower ends or the Oilti strips of said intermediate sheets and the lower ends of the outer sheets lying substantially in the same horizontal plane and surrounding a recess of substantially re etangular'rorm in the lower side or the block adapted to receive and house the supporting legs for the block, as specified.

FREDERICK JACOB SCHMITT, JR. 

